March 15, 2016 | The Miami Student

Public record access often obstructed at Ohio universities, audit finds SPECIAL REPORT

WILL DRABOLD DANIELLE KEETON-OLSEN FOR THE POST AT OU

A.J. NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

As Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said,“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Similarly, the Ohio Sunshine Laws serve to cleanse government and public institutions of corruption.

SPECIAL REPORT

REIS THEBAULT EMILY TATE EDITORS AT LARGE

When a Miami University student walked in to the Panuska Development Center — home to the Miami University Foundation — and requested a public record, the employee at the front desk scoffed and asked “What do you need it for?” Perhaps unknowingly, this employee’s latter response was a blatant obstruction of the Ohio Open Records Act, or Sunshine Laws.

This record request was part of an audit of Ohio’s public universities that showed Miami to be among the least compliant with the state’s Sunshine Laws, which require

public institutions, including public universities, to provide records in a timely manner.

The Miami Student requested five records at Miami University as part of the Ohio Universities Public Records Audit conducted in January.

College students from seven of Ohio’s student-run newspapers audited 12 public universities, requesting records that are unquestionably public. Requests were made in person and requesters did not identify themselves as members of the press.

Of those audited, Miami was one of only two universities whose requests did not result in a single case of compliance (the other university was Cleveland State).

Compliance, for this audit, is either providing the record in

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Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

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a reasonable amount of time or referring the requester to the university’s legal affairs department.

Robin Parker, Miami’s general counsel, handles all legal issues for the university. She declined to comment on record for this story.

For three requests, auditors were asked to provide identifying information — ranging from their names, affiliations and intentions in asking for the records — which, under the Sunshine Laws, constitutes an obstruction of the requests. And, in two cases, auditors were told their requests could not be met unless they were submitted in writing. In fact, the law explicitly states that a request need not be

At Ohio’s public universities, nearly half of employees who were asked for public records failed to follow state law, according to results of a public records audit conducted by student journalists.

In January, student journalists across Ohio requested the same five public records at 12 of Ohio’s 14 public universities. They asked front desk employees for records and did not identify themselves. State law does not require those who request records to identify themselves.

Of the 60 total requests

auditors made across the campuses, school employees followed the law for 34. The vast majority of those requests were directed to universities’ legal offices without immediately providing the records, a technically legal response.

Records were provided in only seven instances.

The remaining 26 requests were denied or obstructed, meaning university employees asked auditors to identify themselves or otherwise made it difficult to obtain a public record.

In direct violation of state law, nearly half of auditors were asked to identify themselves. Some were directed to legal offices after refusing

to identify themselves; others were entirely blocked from access to public records. In 2014, The Columbus Dispatch successfully requested one record from most Ohio public universities: the names of students who committed violent crimes. But two years later, in this audit, three-quarters of audited Ohio public universities denied or obstructed a request for that same record.

Students at Kent State University did not comply with audit guidelines, so their results were voided. Northeastern Ohio Medical University was not audited because it is STATE AUDIT »PAGE 8

A.J. NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

MIAMI AUDIT »PAGE 8

Holi, the ‘festival of colors,’ invites students Bernie’s world: What of all backgrounds to celebrate spring if Miami were free?

POLITICS

MARY SCHROTT

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

CONNOR MORIARTY PHOTO EDITOR

Senior Karson Riley joined hundreds of other students in celebrating a colorful start to spring at the Holi Festival Saturday morning on Central Quad.

EVENT

LAURA FITZERALD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Delighted screams erupt from Miami University students as they pelt each other with water balloons and brightly colored powder.

Red, yellow, blue and green dust hangs in the air, a pastel rainbow descending over the grass and smothering smiling students from head to toe.

This is Holi.

Also known as the “Festival of Colors,” Holi is a Hindu festival celebrated in India, Nepal and other places with Indian and Hindu populations, but it is also celebrated by non-Hindus. The day features huge festivals in which friends and family throw colored powder at each other and spray each other with water.

Junior Ashka Patel is pres-

ident of the Indian Student Association, which hosted the event. Part of the fun of Holi at Miami is celebrating it with a variety of people and friends.

“It’s a lot more exciting here because there are so many people and so many people with different ideas of what the Hindu religion is and what Holi is,” Patel said.

The ancient holiday has its origins in several stories

in the Hindu religion, but many people also celebrate it as a secular holiday, or as the coming of spring. It is generally a time for people to have fun and break down social barriers, since everyone participates, from old to young and from rich to poor.

The version on central quad included a speaker at the beginning explained the HOLI »PAGE 3

The oldest candidate in this year’s U.S. presidential election, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, is appealing to the growing population of young voters by campaigning for reform on a key millennial issue: student debt.

In 2015, national student loan debt reached a record high of $1.2 trillion, which is an 84 percent increase since the 2008 to 2014 recession, according to CNN Money.

Sanders promised to make college tuition at undergraduate public universities free with the “College for All Act” he introduced in May 2015.

Miami is a publicly funded state institution and would be affected by Sanders’s proposed legislation, if it were to pass.

David Creamer, Miami’s treasurer and vice president for finance and business services, says it’s difficult to predict what would happen to the university.

“It might be misleading to assume that everything that is offered today in each state — at least the tuition portion — would simply go away,” Creamer said.

Junior Cody Philips sup-

ports Sanders and his plan, but agrees that it’ll be tough to carry out.

“The way [Sanders] wants to pay for [tuition] is with taxes on the 1 percent, which would be really hard to pass,” said Philips. “The end-all be-all is that people need education.”

Philips said, at Miami, the idea may have even more trouble catching on because some at the school don’t need to worry about footing the bill themselves.

“Some people don’t try at all because they already know they are going to run their father’s company one day,” Philips said. “We are a very wealthy university with a high average income. Nobody thinks of the actual cost of what they are paying.”

According to the Office of Institutional Research, 29 percent of the 2019 class has an annual household income of more than $200,000 — which puts those families in the top 5 percent of American households, according to CNN Money.

“Less students [at Miami] are personally involved with how they pay for tuition,” Creamer said. “Though tuition is an issue that may affect less students here, that SANDERS »PAGE 5

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NEW CAMPUS STARBUCKS FINALLY OPENS

GREEN BEER DAY FORUM ADDRESSES STUDENT SAFETY

DANCE MARATHON RAISES OVER $40K DURING WEEKEND

BOARD ON AUDIT: MIAMI MUST MAKE TRAINING PRIORITY

WOMEN’S HOCKEY WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

The Maplestreet Station coffee shop opened Sunday and will be staffed by student baristas.

Reps from OPD, MUPD, ASG and other groups convened last night to address GBD.

The event, put on by a national nonprofit, raises money for local children’s hospitals.

The Ohio Universities Public Records Audit revealed Miami’s troubling responses to records requests.

Miami’s women’s club team won its second national championship in three years.

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

The latest buzz: Starbucks opens on campus CAMPUS

HAILEY MALLENDICK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The long-awaited opening of Miami’s fully functional Starbucks franchise store came to a head on Monday when Dining Services unveiled the new coffee shop at Maplestreet Station.

Inside, the Starbucks bears little resemblance to its predecessor, Patisserie. Now, it is the spitting image of a traditional Starbucks store: from the sleek black menu and prices, baskets of coffee, photography on the walls and display case of freshly baked goods down to the barista uniforms.

Baristas sport the traditional Starbucks uniform consisting of green aprons, black polos and Starbucks hats.

Even the hours are similar to other locations. The oncampus Starbucks will be open for 12 hours each day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Jon Brubacher, the interim director of Dining Services, has been looking forward to opening day.

“We fully expect to be busy on opening day and to remain busy going forward,” said Brubacher.

Brubacher was anticipating a large crowd, given the high demand for Starbucks on campus through the ‘We Proudly Serve’ locations, which offer Starbucks products without being fully linked to the chain. His predictions were correct.

Yesterday, on opening day, the line wrapped around the entire store with about 30 people waiting to order at all times.

The doors were constantly opening and closing as new customers arrived to replace the ones who had just left.

Sophomore Olivia Ryan said she was pleased to be buying “real” Starbucks from the new location on Monday.

“I am really excited about the fact that there is a real Starbucks here on campus,” said Ryan.

“This line is just overwhelmingly long and doesn’t seem to get any shorter at any point in the day. It seems like every other Starbucks, except for the line.”

After weighing her options, Ryan got in line and waited 18 minutes for her strawberry smoothie and blueberry muffin.

“It tastes more natural and fresh than other places on campus,” said Ryan.

Senior Adam Ferraco, one of

the newly-certified baristas, was eager to get to work on Monday.

“I’m pretty excited and definitely anxious. It’s going to be pretty hectic in there,” said Ferraco. “A lot of people have pretty specific Starbucks orders.

A lot of girls and guys like to customize, so I feel like that will be stressful, but it will be fun for the most part.”

The new staff just finished the 40 hours of required training over the weekend to prepare for opening day. Staff members are now certified baristas and were trained by a Starbucks district manager who came to campus.

Ferraco said he is ready to serve up some of his favorite kinds of drinks now that the store is open.

“The minor details of each drink and the large variety took a long time to learn how to make,” said Ferraco. “I like hot coffee, so I like making any kind of lattes.”

As the baristas look forward to working at the Miami Starbucks, students like Ryan prepare to visit this store regularly now.

“I live right above it, so it’s convenient for me,” said Ryan.

“It’s really nice. I’ll come here over Miami Ice.”

BETH PFOHL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Maplestreet Station welcomed Starbucks to its line of restaurants yesterday. The coffee shop replaced bakery Patisserie.

International student spotlight: Alfred Yang, Made in China™ PEOPLE

ANGELA HATCHER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In late August, Alfred Yang sat in the rec room of Clawson Hall and described to his newest friends, a hodgepodge of the first-years from his Made@ Miami group and other international students, the tattoo he wanted to get to celebrate his arrival in America.

“I want it right here,” he said, pointing to a large spot on his right forearm. “It will be a barcode, like one you can scan, and above that will say ‘Made in China’ with the trademark symbol.”

The students who crowded around Alfred burst into a fit of laughter and dispersed to finish playing pool and ping pong. He smiled his ‘trademark’ Alfred Yang smile — a genuine and infectious grin — proud that he could make people so happy.

He was serious about the tattoo. But it’s second semester already and his right forearm remains inkless.

“It’s too expensive,” he said.

He’ll get the tattoo of his dreams when the prices are more reasonable.

It’s likely you’ve run into Alfred once or twice on campus. If you haven’t met Alfred Yang yet, you probably will.

He is notorious for his classic ‘Alfred’ introduction, approaching strangers as they head off to class with a firm handshake and a loud, “Hello Miss!” or “Hello Sir, how are you doing today?”

When one of his friends says something that surprises him, his response is almost always, “Oh my goodness.”

He loves letting people know that he is a “businessman.”

His friends refer to his unique statements and exclamations as “Alfred-isms.”

“I thought Alfred was just the boldest person I had ever met,” said Troy Myree, a fellow firstyear from Alfred’s Made@Miami group. “I aspired to be him.”

Many of Alfred’s friends said they feel the same way. During Welcome Week, Alfred had been moved in and settled for nearly 14 days. So, on Move-In Day, he stood outside his residence hall — Thomson Hall — and helped other students move in with the biggest smile on his face.

He is an 18-year-old accounting major and serial networker, making connections with everyone and anyone on campus.

During the Made@Miami weekend, his business casual attire stood out in the sea of pastel shorts, Sperry’s and sundresses. He carried a briefcase around with him. Passersby assumed he was a professor, not a new student.

After a dinner reception during the program, Alfred walked right up to President Hodge, shook his hand and introduced himself.

“He said he felt humbled to shake hands with Miami’s President,” said Savannah Boerger, Alfred’s Made@Miami peer leader.

But she also remembers think-

ing that Hodge was the lucky one.

“He immediately stood out to me as someone who made everyone laugh and feel welcome, even though he was new to Miami, himself,” Boerger said.

Alfred fit in immediately and quickly became comfortable with life in Oxford, Ohio, despite being 6,750 miles away from home.

Alfred was born and raised in Beijing, China. He went to Malvern College, a British school where he took classes six days a week, and sometimes his parents signed him up for an extra class on Sundays.

He prefers going to school just five days a week.

Alfred chose his major for the job opportunities it could potentially yield. He was never the best at biology or chemistry, but he was always good with numbers.

“It’s that Chinese talent,” he said, smiling mischievously.

Alfred was quick to adapt to and adopt American culture. He learned every slang word, asked lots of questions and was never afraid to talk to strangers.

One of the first slang words his friends taught him was “basic,” which quickly became one of his favorites.

“I am a social person. I think this presence is good on campus because I am willing to talk to other people,” he said. “And the people here are so nice.”

Alfred works at First Stop and was promoted to student manager this semester. His two best friends on campus are Griffin

RENEE FERRELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Caldwell, his roommate, and Ty Larson, a fellow student manager at First Stop.

“They are gorgeous people,” Alfred said. “I call them Brother Ty and Brother Griffin. They are like my family here.”

What Alfred likes the least about life at Miami is the lack of quality dining options.

“Western people don’t know how to treat food,” he said.

His favorite place to eat is the

Chinese restaurant Uptown under the Quizno’s sign. He claims it’s the only joint that sells authentic Chinese food — a taste of home.

Alfred’s Chinese name, his birth name, is Xiyuan. He chose the name Alfred when he first came to America.

“It’s been too long, I can barely remember why,” he said.

“It’s either named after the Alfred in Batman or Alfred the Great in England.”

Miami recognizes first female students for National Women’s History Month HISTORY

Although McFarland and McCullough broke the barrier in 1887, MAGGIE THOMAS enrollment for women at the uniTHE MIAMI STUDENT versity didn’t increase immediateLast week the Miami University ly. It wasn’t until 1902 that the unicommunity recognized National versity saw an increase in female Women’s History Month. The enrollment. Throughout those 15 M.I.A.M.I. WOMEN Committee years, there were no more than 16 celebrated with its third annual women at the university.

Women in Leadership Symposium.

This occurred when the General Miami University was a male- Assembly, the world’s forum for dominated campus when it was es- discussing world peace and secutablished in 1809. The enrollment rity, established a bill that comof students at Miami was barely missioned both Miami and Ohio above 200 students, until two University to create new divisions women broke this barrier in 1887. for “professional preparation of At the time, the university’s teachers.” These divisions were president was Richard White Mc- named “Ohio State Normal ColFarland. His daughter, Francis leges,” both at Miami and Ohio McFarland, was the first woman University. admitted to the university. Shortly Lauren Allen, president of after McFarland was admitted to Women in Business at Miami, said the university, Daisy McCullough these women opened the doors for made the choice to attend the uni- female students today. versity. These women were named “I think definitely they paved the the first women to enroll. way for other women who hoped

to continue their education or expand their career options for the future,” said Allen.

Members of Miami University’s Women in Business work to inspire women.

“Our motto for Women in Business is to unite, enable and inspire women. Having these role models that helped pave the way allows women to empower each other now,” said Allen.

Lilya Nguyen is a senior majoring in strategic communication, with a minor in political science.

She feels encouraged and inspired by her advisers and professors to take the classes that meet her interests, even though many believe these classes are male-dominated.

“I have never felt discriminated by my gender in any of my classes,” said Nguyen. “People say certain majors are male-dominated.

I always felt equal in any class I’ve taken at Miami, whether it’s a

male-dominated field or not.”

The first two women who attended Miami allowed female students today to experience equal education. Nguyen feels that she is given the same opportunities and accommodations that male students receive.

“There is always a first time for everything. These women have paved the path for us,” said Nguyen. “It’s my responsibility to continue this path for the future generation who will come to Miami for higher education.”

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Judy Smith, a lawyer and public relations executive, spoke at Miami last week for the Women in Leadership Symposium.

“Women can be leaders,” Nguyen said. “Miami uses its resources to bring speakers to campus who can inspire young women to achieve their goals.”

Sophomore Jill O’Bryan said

she appreciates the decisions of these women to attend the university.

“I definitely think that a lot of people in our generation don’t realize that women like them had to come before us,” said O’Bryan.

“Somebody had to be the one to step up.”

McFarland and McCullough broke these barriers and paved the way for female students today.

“Back then it wasn’t the expectation that everyone went to college.

Today, the barriers we face are a lot different than those back then,” said O’Bryan.

Society often believes attending college is a cultural norm, or something that everyone does.

“It’s such a cultural norm that women go to college today,” said O’Bryan. “But the reason we are able to do that is because the first two women before us who went to Miami broke this barrier.”

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Miami’s National Pan-Hellenic Council hosts first ever Stroll-Off

Annual forum discusses alcohol safety before ‘GBD’ EVENT

ZANA SMAJLI

THE MIAMI STUDENT

IAN MARKER THE MIAMI STUDENT

Students participate in Miami’s National Pan-Hellenic Council’s Stroll-Off. A panel, consisting of three judges, ranked contestants during the three rounds of performances.

EVENT

ANGELA HATCHER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, students crowded into Wilks Theater, eager for Miami’s National Pan-Hellenic Council’s (NPHC) first ever Stroll-Off. Strolling, a dance that is also referred to as “party walking,” combines precise formations with repeated synchronized movements and dates back to the inception of the Divine Nine in the 1920s — or the nine African-American Greek organizations that exist nationally, four of which currently exist at Miami.

Deeply rooted in African-American Greek tradition, strolling has become a staple to represent the culture and identity of the black Greek community.

According to Alpha Phi Alpha president, senior Tyraan Sales, this year’s Stroll-Off is a spinoff of the former NPHC Step Show.

“There were a lot of logistical things that changed this year, like the location and the timeframe,” Sales said. “We pulled it together rather quickly.”

The event maintained the competitive aspect of the annual Step Show. A panel of three judges assembled at the front of Wilks and ranked the three rounds of performances. Of the three organizations competing, a runner up and a winner were announced at the end.

NPHC president Jalen Brown kicked off the event with a bang, describing the Stroll-Off as an opportunity to showcase dance skills within the fraternities and sororities FROM HOLI »PAGE 1

origins and cultural significance of Holi, a Bollywood dance, water balloons, color and Bollywood music.

Patel says this is an opportunity for everyone, from students to members of the Oxford community.

“We really hope to reach out to not everyone that’s just on campus but everyone living around us,” Patel said.

The focus of ISA’s event is more on Indian culture and the celebration of Holi rather than the religious aspect, Patel said.

Growing up, Patel celebrated Holi at her local temple in Cleveland. It was a smaller celebration, and the focus was more on religion.

Patel says that while she enjoyed celebrating Holi with her family at home, she also likes the holiday at Miami because it’s a different kind

with the combination of stepping and strolling.

He described the African origins of the movement being infused into the the traditions of the organizations to express a unified sense of culture.

On a campus dominated by the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association, Sales views this event as an opportunity to showcase the NPHC organizations.

“There’s not many of us on campus,” Sales said. “Events of this nature really give us exposure. It gives people a preview of what we do and who we are. It’s a demonstration of our culture, our traditions. It gives us a way to express some of the things we’ve worked hard on.”

Despite a relatively low attendance, the audience was charged with excitement for each performance. Female students squealed when the Alphas and Sigmas hit the stage with some of their signature strolls. People cheered on the Kappas as they strutted onto the stage.

Alumni joined their brothers and sisters to reminisce and honor the dancing traditions of their respective organizations.

The competition was fierce, each organization wanting to put its best foot forward.

Sales described each dance as a combination of tradition and chapter-centric movements with bits of new creations mixed in.

“A lot of things are traditional,” Sales said. “But if you factor in creativity and crowd participation and the growing nature of what people want to see, things are bound to be changed a little bit.”

First-year Mona Mae Juwillie

was at the front of Wilks Theater with 10 of her closest friends, supporting the NPHC organizations on Saturday night.

“The event was the highlight of my freshman Miami experience. It was so humbling and rewarding to see this,” she said. “It just reminds you how much tradition is behind these black fraternities and sororities, not just African-American traditions, but African traditions as well.”

For Tyraan Sales, events like these mean a great deal not just to his fraternity, but NPHC and Miami’s campus as a whole.

“At the end of the day, we do these events for the people, not for ourselves,” Sales said. “If we didn’t have the people there, we wouldn’t have an event.”

“It means a lot not only to my organization, but I think I can speak for everybody when I say it means a lot because it was some much, some much commitment,” Sales said.

“And especially for our alumni, to see we are still upholding the traditions and upholding the chapter in a great light. We want to show the student body who we are and gain interest as to what we do, being so small on this campus. I would say it means a tremendous deal.”

Competing on Saturday, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. brought home the cake, beating out Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. (2nd) and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (3rd).

After the Stroll-Off ended and the Kappas were announced the champions, students wandered their way from Wilks to the Heritage room in Shriver for an icebreaker event, strolling and dancing until 2 a.m.

of celebration.

“Here with it all being college students it’s OK to run and throw it in someone’s face and jump on someone’s back,” Patel said. “I wouldn’t do that to someone back at the temple.”

Sophomore Soumya Trivedi is from Ahmedabad, India. At home, she says her family would decorate the house and hang dubatta — colored pieces of cloth — to trees and have all of their friends and family over in a huge party. Her family had a tradition of playing cricket after lunch.

Trivedi said while she misses celebrating Holi with her family and the larger festivities in India, she enjoys the celebration that ISA throws.

“Because it’s in a completely different country, I understand that it’s not going to be as good as it was back home, but it’s still something that I enjoy because it reminds me

of home,” Trivedi said.

Senior Ginny Houge did not celebrate Holi before she came to Miami, but now she takes part in the holiday as a member of the Indian Student Association. She says she enjoys learning about other cultures and holidays.

“I didn’t grow up with a lot of Hindu culture, so it was interesting to get out of the bubble and see how they might celebrate a holiday,” Houge said.

Houge joined ISA after a trip to India her sophomore year and fell in love with the culture. Holi and ISA is a good way to expand students’ knowledge and acknowledge someone else’s culture, she said.

Holi is also just a good way to get a break from school and have fun with friends, Houge said.

“It’s just a really happy event that everyone participates in,” Houge said. “No one is in a bad mood while they’re there.”

Please recycle when finished

Yesterday, Miami students and Oxford community members gathered in Armstrong Student Center Pavilion for a Green Beer Day forum prior to the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration this Thursday.

The event, hosted by Associated Student Government (ASG), National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC), discussed safe drinking and common misconceptions about Green Beer Day. Over 300 students attended the event, which began with a quiz game created by the BACCHUS Network — a university and community-based organization focused on health and safety initiatives — and ended with a question and answer session with both the Oxford Police Department (OPD) and the Miami University Police Department (MUPD).

Kevin Krumpak, ASG secretary for off-campus affairs, started the forum by imploring students to take the discussion seriously and use the tips provided throughout their lives.

“This is information and advice that you should take into your everyday lives — and specifically in Oxford — about how to stay safe in our community,” Krumpak said.

OPD Sergeant Jon Varley provided answers to some common questions surrounding the drinking holiday, including debunking the myth that a green tongue is probable cause to be breathalyzed. Another common misconception is the idea that a fence around a party means police can’t enter the premises. “[Fencing] doesn’t protect you, all it does is keep your guests from wandering into public areas. But that doesn’t protect you from police,” Varley said.

Varley also warned that OPD

may be sending undercover police officers into parties and bars on Thursday.

However, OPD isn’t the only department patrolling on Green Beer Day. MUPD, Butler County Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the township police will all be helping regulate the festivities — over 300 officers in total, according to MUPD Sergeant Susan Tobergte.

Tobergte said anyone hosting a party is responsible for all guests, noting that the trend nationally is to hire professional licensed bartenders that carry liability insurance to protect party hosts.

“When you have a house party, anyone that lives there or is hosting carries civil liability,” Tobergte said. “Whoever is hosting this party needs to realize that they are responsible for who’s drinking and how much they’re drinking.”

Tobergte also warned that showing up to class intoxicated could lead to charges and said that police are less likely to press charges if intoxicated individuals cooperate. While she and the other officers know this is a major celebration for students, it also poses a huge risk. According to BACCHUS, nearly 600,000 college students were recorded to have been injured while under the effects of alcohol last year.

“We know Green Beer Day is a big day here, but please, please, please be responsible drinkers and watch out for your friends,” Tobergte said. “You have the whole week of spring break coming up also, and the same thing goes for that.”

She also warned that court dates for arrests on Green Beer Day would be next Thursday over the university’s spring break.

According to Varley, a party as big as Green Beer Day makes keeping police out next to impossible.

“If the party is open to everybody, it’s open to us.” Varley said.

JING LONG THE MIAMI STUDENT

FUNDRAISER Oxford Community Arts Center hosted its annual gala March 12. This year’s gala was ‘Starry Starry Night!’

Visit us online at miamistudent.net

4 CULTURE

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

Slice of life: A dreary Thursday morning STUDENT LIFE

STAFF WRITERS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

First Stop — Kevin First Stop is fairly empty, a clear indication that it’s a weekday morning.

Students tuck away their umbrellas just inside the glass doors, and have just enough time to pick up a newspaper before being seated by the hostess.

“Is this table good?”

Like most customers today, I say yes before proceeding to sit alone, eyes alternating between a laptop and menu.

A boy in a black mesh shirt picks methodically at his french toast.

He carefully spreads butter before returning his attention to YouTube, sipping OJ between videos.

Even those with company stay relatively isolated. All interaction is confined to the table, broken only by the occasional waitress.

A guy in a green vest glances at the row of silent television screens as his friend across the table places an order.

“Can I have a water and coffee and then can I have a combo one with the eggs over easy and sausage?”

“What kind of bread?”

“Wheat toast, please.”

When it’s my turn, I order the strawberry waffles. Kaicey, my waitress, smiles and nods before retreating to the kitchen.

A girl in a gray skirt scampers through the front door to join her three friends in a booth. One of the girls greets her with a stifled round of applause before quietly sinking back into her seat.

This morning’s conversational specials include the rainy weather, cheerleading drama and a crowd favorite — the weekend’s frat parties.

The girls get up to leave, cueing another waitress to whisk away their plates on a hefty gray platter.

Their time in First Stop has ended, but the waitress’ has just begun.

Slant Walk — Britton A steady stream of people, mostly students, make their way across the street to campus and file down Slant Walk.

It’s raining, but only a few carry umbrellas. Most rely on their rain jackets and rubber boots, ear buds in and heads ducked.

One student walks by, the hood of her cotton sweatjacket pulled taut over her head. She looks miserable and it makes me thankful for my blue and white jacket.

My boyfriend, Luke, and I head down Slant Walk, toward Upham, our final destination.

“Miami should hand out free

PERELMBK@MIAMIOH.EDU

Dance Marathon raises over $40 thousand for kids

Editors’ pop culture picks RECOMMENDATIONS

Things we watched, read, listened to and streamed while dreaming about Spring Break and procrastinating on all of our assignments.

umbrellas, not T-shirts,” he says, and I know he’s only slightly kidding.

The rain’s trajectory changes. It’s coming down sideways now.

My thoughts flick briefly to the somewhat unprotected laptop in my backpack.

It’s quiet, save for the raindrops against the pavement. I wonder if the lack of conversation is due to the weather, or the early hour.

“HOUSE OF CARDS” SEASON FOUR

James Steinbauer really likes how the new season represents things that are actually happening in today’s election — especially the fear-mongering Donald Trump and the near certainty of a contested convention. Although he will admit that he’s a little disappointed by Kevin Spacey’s performance in this season compared to the first three.

“CASABLANCA”

JENNIFER MILLS THE MIAMI STUDENT

Over 500 Miami students participated in Dance Marathon on Saturday to raise money for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

EVENTS

ELIZABETH HANSEN Rec Center Pool — Kelly Walking into the aquatic center, the humidity hits you like a wall.

Across the room, the scoreboard displays the hours of operation for various pools. Across the top, a message rolls by.

“Welcome to the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatics Center. Have a wonderful day!”

Instead of students, Oxford residents occupy the lanes, but even they are relatively few in number.

Morning talk shows blare over the speakers and mingle with the constant sound of water rushing into drains. The lifeguards sit in their high chairs, looking bored and disinterested. There’s simply nothing to watch.

The only exception is the leisure pool.

It sits separated from the other three pools by a wall of glass windows. Through those windows, you can see a group of senior citizens bobbing up and down in the shallow water. On the side of the pool, a woman in a red tank top directs the water fitness class.

The lifeguards begin to rotate stands. A male student in a red t-shirt comes out of the office, safety tube in hand, and takes the place of the guard sitting at the lap pool. She gets down and walks along the edge of the pool, circling it, until she reaches the door to leisure.

She enters and switches with the guard there. At the same time, the instructor dismisses her class and the patrons exit the water slowly.

The talk radio still mixes with the sound of rushing water and the same message trails across the neon board on the wall.

“Welcome to the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatics center. Have a wonderful day!”

Miami Ice — Alison The line for the register varies anywhere between five and ten students, with more lingering nearby, waiting for their orders.

Everyone either holds an umbrella or wears a raincoat dotted with water droplets.

Maroon 5 plays from above, sounding distant compared to the SLICE OF LIFE »PAGE 5

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Red, white and blue balloons floated through the Armstrong Pavilion on Saturday, and streamers and American-themed banners, reading “For the Kids of America,” hung on the walls.

Volunteers dressed in red and blue tie-dyed shirts formed a tunnel to usher in this year’s participants for Dance Marathon. Music blasted as the crowd chanted their slogan, “FOR THE KIDS! FOR THE KIDS!” “Our goal this year was 350 registered participants, and so far we have over 500. The morale this year is awesome,” said Vice President of Involvement for Dance Marathon Rachel Morgan.

Students danced from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. to raise money for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, taking a break only to eat lunch and dinner.

“The main idea is that you stand for the kids who can’t,” said first-year volunteer Madi Gregory.

Dance Marathon is a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals movement, a non-profit organization devoted to raising money and awareness for children’s hospitals across the country.

Since Dance Marathon began in 1991, it has raised over $135 million for children across America. Last year, Miami University’s team raised over $38 thousand.

This year’s goal was set at $40 thousand Throughout the day, patients from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and their families came to tell their stories and dance along with the Miami students.

Bob Ellerman, a volunteer for Children’s Miracle Network and the Champion’s Program at Cincinnati Children’s hospital, has come to Oxford every year for the past three years to share his story about his daughter, Kelly.

“Kelly was born five weeks early and with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare disorder resulting in brittle bones that only affects one in 66 thousand births,” said Ellerman. “Her right leg was a deep shade of purple, her left leg was at a 90 degree angle and her toes were pointed at her head.”

She had too many broken bones to count. They told Ellerman Kelly probably wouldn’t live through the night.

“I kept asking the doctors what I should do, but they would not tell me due to the Medical Code of Ethics,” said Ellerman.

With family flying in from Florida and driving in from Cleveland, Ellerman had one request — keep Kelly alive until everyone could see her.

At 6:30 a.m. on August 13, 1991, Kelly’s head began to swell and Ellerman knew a decision had to be made.

“We gathered the grandparents

and got my wife to Children’s Hospital. We were told we could not lift her or hold her because we would break more bones. The staff placed Kelly in my wife’s arms to hold her for a brief moment.”

At 12:00 p.m., Ellerman and his wife decided to take Kelly off of breathing tubes and let her go. At approximately 1:00 p.m., Kelly passed away.

“We went from a birth on a Monday, to a funeral on a Friday,” said Ellerman.

Shortly after Kelly’s death, Ellerman’s wife began knitting small hats and booties for the Neonatal ICU unit at Children’s.

Two years ago, Ellerman began volunteering in the Child Life Activity Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“If you saw some of their faces, you would never know they were sick. These kids smile and laugh and enjoy being in the Activity Center to forget about their illnesses for awhile,” said Ellerman, as children in the Armstrong Pavillion laughed, danced and played games with the Miami student volunteers.

“Though Kelly could not be helped at the hospital, the children there are getting the best care possible,” said Ellerman.

“What you all are doing here today with this Dance Marathon does make a difference to these kids and their families.”

A roar of applause from the audience followed Ellerman’s story. The dancing continued.

Around 11:30 p.m., the only light coming into the Armstrong Pavilion was that of glow sticks as the volunteers raved in preparation for the final reveal. After a long day of dancing, the question of how much money was raised danced in the heads of the tired volunteers “We’re all very excited to see the number! It’s great to see our hard work and dedication pay off,” said Gregory.

One final song and dance, then the winning team was announced.

“The team that raised the most money is … The New Romantics!” said Dance Marathon President Maddy Wimmer.

The New Romantics hopped on the stage and were each handed a large piece of cardboard to help reveal the grand total.

One by one, they flipped it over, revealing a number. The audience shouted along.

“FOUR! THREE!” “DECIMAL POINT!” “ZERO! SEVEN! FIVE!” “COMMA!” There were three cards left to reveal. The exhaustion from dancing for twelve hours straight seemed to escape the crowd as the final numbers were revealed.

“ZERO! FOUR!” There was one card left. It was a dollar sign.

The tired dancers screamed in excitement as the grand total was revealed: $40,570.34 — all for the kids of America.

Britton Perelman’s writing a really long paper about “Casablanca” right now and rewatched the movie for the millionth time over the weekend. She’s never been a huge fan of old movies, but adores “Casablanca.” Bogie (Humphrey Bogart) is her favorite and she loves that the dialogue is still humorous 70 years later.

Yeah, it’s in black and white, but that just makes the whole thing better. Britton also recommends Aljean Harmetz’ book about the making of the movie — it’s fascinating if you’re into reading about behind-the-scenes production drama from the 1940s.

“COOKED”

Emily Williams advises that you don’t watch “Cooked” on an empty stomach. It’s a 4-part Netflix documentary series that will have you wanting to eat really good barbecue, fresh bread and lots of cheese. The whole thing made Emily rethink the way she eats and then hate herself for putting processed food in her body every day. The stories about the nun who’s dedicated her life to making great cheese and Aboriginal peoples who spend their weekends hunting and cooking lizards are pretty cool, too.

“THE OBAMA DOCTRINE”

When Brett Milam read “The Obama Doctrine,” The Atlantic’s April cover story, he found it hard to dislike Obama when the President acknowledged that the 2011 Libya intervention didn’t work and the country is now a “shit show.”

Brett thought it was especially interesting that “The Dark Knight” apparently helped Obama understand the role of ISIS by comparing the terrorist organization to the villainous Joker.

“NAKED AND AFRAID”

One of Connor Moriarty’s guilty pleasures is the TV show, “Naked and Afraid.” He watched eight episodes — but not all at once — on Sunday because there was a marathon on the Discovery Channel.

That forest fire in the first episode of the new season was super intense and everyone should probably check it out sometime this week.

“CRIMINAL MINDS”

There are over 200 episodes of “Criminal Minds” on Netflix right now.

And Marissa Stipek has watched every single one, at least once.

She would probably watch all 10 seasons again because, even though there’s so many, they never seem to get boring. Marissa loves that you learn a lot about the characters and her favorite is Spencer Reed because he’s nerdy and brainy and socially awkward in an endearing way.

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET

FROM SANDERS »PAGE 1

doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned.”

Creamer justifies Miami’s price by the quality of education and university experience offered to students. Upholding Miami’s prestige thus plays into some of Creamer’s concern surrounding free public undergraduate education.

“Affordable education is important but the quality of it is as important,” Creamer said. “Free goods are FROM SLICE OF LIFE »PAGE 4

almost constant whirring of the machine making specialty drinks.

No one talks — most are there alone to grab a cup of coffee before class, and it’s too early for real conversation anyway.

Every few minutes there’s a high-pitched click as a student taps their ID. Ice rattles into a cup.

A guy in a blue jacket grabs his iced coffee and turns around to grab a straw from the cart. His cup is tipped dangerously far forward, the liquid ready to spill out, but he doesn’t notice.

There’s a hum of conversation as more students arrive, mixed with Adele’s familiar notes.

A girl in a black sweatshirt throws away her ice cream container — an interesting choice for 10:00 in the morning — and gets the last bit of ice cream off the spoon before tossing that, too.

Another loud whir emanates from the smoothie machine, and the sound drowns everything else out for a few seconds.

Harris Dining Hall — Joey There’s only about a dozen or

5

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

sometimes free because they just aren’t very good.”

Brent Shock, assistant vice president of student financial aid and bursar offices, said he is concerned students may become less dedicated to their education if offered free tuition.

“There’s something to be said for when you’re paying for something yourself or you are intimately related to the person paying for you,” Shock said. “It’s a different mindset when you’ve got skin in the game.”

Shock, who graduated from Mi-

ami in 1992, not only works with students with financial need but experienced student debt himself.

“I came from a very poor family,” Shock said.

After a year-and-a-half living at home after graduation, Shock paid off his $13,500 in college debt and came back to work for Miami.

Shock says Miami students are persistent about graduating on time, which lessens student debt.

The 53 percent of Miami students who graduated last year with debt

is low compared to the 70 percent of national bachelor degree-earning students who graduated with loans, Shock said.

While Shock is uncertain how Sanders’ plan will provide free tuition, he agrees with several of the senator’s proposals, like stopping the federal government from profiting on student loans and substantially cutting student loan interest rates.

Creamer, who paid for his own undergraduate tuition at Ohio University by working nights at a hotel

desk, said higher education must be made more affordable. And, many voters agree.

Sanders’ movement toward lowering costs of higher education is one of the reasons he is popular with young voters, Philips said.

“So many millennials like him because we realize it’s not easy to pay your way through college anymore,” Philips said. “This is a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to elect someone like this. He’s got some great plans.”

so people in the dining hall. Most people in the room are sitting alone, staring at phones or computers as they eat. It’s dead quiet, save for the background music playing through the speakers.

Two girls ahead of me sit at opposite ends of a large round table with plates and trays spread out.

“When I asked her, her voice was so sarcastic,” one says, speaking of a mutual acquaintance.

“That’s so annoying,” her friend responds.

Across the room, one girl walks up to another girl sitting down as she prepares to leave.

“What up?” she asks. “You in Chem 142?”

“Um, I’m in Chem 145.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later.”

The conversation ends and she walks away.

After about 20 minutes, the population in the room has doubled. Patrons get coffee, grab cups and balance trays as they find seats. The sounds of dishes clanking, ice rattling and milk pouring pick up.

A male worker with a hair net around his chin walks out of the serving room.

“Eggs are up!” he shouts.

A group of four girls sitting at a table finish their breakfast with cones of soft-serve ice cream.

They laugh together as they exit the hall.

Sundial — Audrey It’s 58 degrees outside, but the raindrops make it feel much cooler. The smell from the rain is overwhelming and there are pud-

dles everywhere — all signs that spring is almost here.

Girls walk out of the sorority dorms and immediately pop up the hoods of their matching raincoats.

People pass the Sundial on their way to class. Nearly everyone has headphones in, avoiding both eye contact and conversation.

The bright umbrellas people carry add the only color to the

gray, dreary day. Pink, blue and purple pass by.

No one smiles. They just look at the ground.

At around 9:50, people start coming from all directions heading to and from class. People criss-cross the pathways and narrowly avoid collisions.

A group of girls walk in sync, each step of their Hunter Boots slosh against the puddles on the sidewalk.

Guys pass by too, but they are all without umbrellas.

Water droplets hang off the turtles’ faces for a while before dropping to the ground with a collective “plop.”

A girl walks by with a half-eaten apple and a cup of coffee, all the while trying to hold a polka dotted umbrella. She struggles, but manages to make it work.

By 9:57, the once busy intersection is completely empty.

Reported by Kelly Burns, Audrey Davis, Joey Hart, Alison Perelman, Britton Perelman and Kevin Vestal

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6 OPINION

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Miami fails to provide records, performs worst in state of Ohio on audit EDITORIAL

The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

This January, The Miami Student staff participated in a statewide audit to gauge Ohio public universities’ compliance with open records laws. By failing to provide a single one of the five public records requested by students, Miami scored lowest for compliance, along with Cleveland State University.

In three instances, student were asked to identify themselves. One was asked if she worked for the student newspaper. Another was told to submit his request in writing.

None of this information is necessary to obtain public records, and to say otherwise is to violate the rights of the person making the request. Furthermore, not a single record request was met with a referral to Miami’s Office of General Counsel, as is university protocol. In one case, a student was told the only woman with access to the record in question was in a meeting, and the record was therefore unavailable.

Clearly, there is a disconnect between the existence of Ohio’s Open Record Act, Miami’s understanding of it and how the university actually carries it out.

Whether the obstructions our student auditors faced were purposeful efforts to shield information or were due purely to ignorance, the fact remains — students were denied records they are entitled to .

All levels of Miami employees need to be aware of what the Ohio Open Record Act

necessitates. If the current training is inadequate — as audit results indicate — then more education is needed. Ideally, everyone would be taught how to handle these requests. But if this across-the-board training cannot happen, employees should at least

Unfortunately, Miami’s poor performance on this year’s audit makes us wonder: what is the university trying to hide?

know to whom they should refer requests.

Allowing the public access is not an option — it is a right, and a requirement.

As journalists, we at The Miami Student recognize the importance of having public records available. Many of our stories this year, including those concerning fraternity suspensions, sexual assault cases and the presidential search, are products of critically analyzing public documents. Journalism could not function as a fourth estate, a “watchdog” over other entities of power, if

government records remained hidden.

While journalists might be the ones who most often utilize their rights to public records, they are not the only ones who benefit. By writing stories with information from these documents, journalists educate the public on issues they would not otherwise know about.

When we ask Miami for public records, we are not asking for their information — the records don’t belong to them.

The records belong to the public. They belong to us.

Because Miami is a public institution, funded by taxpayers’ money, citizens are entitled to know how that money is being spent. They have the right to know how the university is making decisions and how it conducts itself. And they have the right to be given this information in full, in a timely manner upon request, for any reason and without further questions or any intimidation tactics employed.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a federal law allowing Americans access to government information. It is also Sunshine Week, a “national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information,” according to Sunshine Week’s website.

It is important this week ­— and every

week — not only to celebrate the right we have to access information, but also to fight to ensure it is being upheld. We must challenge those who try to infringe on this right, or limit our access to information we are entitled to have.

Open records laws are nicknamed “Sunshine Laws,” because they are intended to shine light into dark, otherwise concealed areas and see what might be hidden. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, “If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.”

Unfortunately, Miami’s poor performance on this year’s audit makes us wonder: what is the university trying to hide?

We have learned first-hand this year that transparency is not Miami’s strongsuit. Failure to comply with the five records requests made this January is indicative of a larger, more problematic trend.

Admittedly, only one school statewide had perfect compliance. While Miami’s results are the most severe, they are not a rarity. This highlights a need for increased training on the handling of public records at universities across the state. Hopefully the disappointing results of this year’s survey will motivate state institutions to reevaluate their behavior and make the necessary improvements.

Emails are ineffective, inter- OPD to plant The rise of extremist leaders: national assistance follows suit cops at Easter Not just a U.S. problem Sunday masses

ACADEMIC

GRAHAM VON CARLOWITZ COLUMNIST

After reading in The Miami Student about the absence of a tutoring center for international students, I did what any wannabe-vigilante would do and took to finding a solution on my own. The results surprised me.

Reader discretion is advised.

When it comes to simply learning English, my first thought was that, indeed, the Google Translate tool needs to be replaced. To sit behind the girl in my German class and watch her translate from German to English, English to Chinese and back to German again pains me enough to denounce Google Translate absolutely.

No person in their right mind should have to put up with such a constant cycle of shifting frames of thought — or language, for that matter. English acquisition should consist of less machine and more human being.

I began some intense research — in my case, that meant utilizing the maligned Google machine itself. After collecting some names and places, I was eventually referred to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), where I learned of a program called Global Buddies.

Something in the name struck me as familiar. Naturally, I returned to Google — Gmail, to be specific.

A quick filter of the program manager’s name, Jing Lou, gave me three email results, all of which related, to some extent, to her program, which advocates intercultural exchange between domestic student ambassadors and international students. According to the archives, the first email arrived August 28, 2015 via the international studies listserv.

The scary part is that these emails were not the source of my familiarity. Rather, Global Buddies was something I had first heard of in the fall from my German professor.

A light bulb went off in my head at that point — an opaque fluorescent bulb, I think — and it became clear all at once: I am immune to these emails.

Perhaps I am simply an outlier, the sole student out of 15,000 others who gets so fed up with listserv emails he begins ignoring them altogether. Instinct tells me

otherwise, though.

If I am the only student who drools at the sight of five new forwarded emails, then why is there not more participation in these programs? Why has it taken so long for someone to stumble upon and question the gaping hole where an English tutoring center should be?

Because the emails are ignored, to put it bluntly. Instead, this information should be shared by proponent professors like my German one, as well as people from the programs by virtue of the oft-forgotten tool that is the human voice.

Mind-numbing emails aside, staffing hinders the “in-person advertising.” According to their website, ISSS employs four people. Four. These four people are to tend to 1,670 international students, which amounts to too damn many per employee, according to 2014 statistics.

To compensate, programs like Global Buddies arise in hopes that the supportive domestic student population can

Why has it taken so long for someone to stumble upon and question the gaping whole where an English tutoring center should be?

offer a helping hand. While a nice thought, the program can only accomplish so much — however much the participating students on both ends are willing to contribute, that is.

The bottom line is students should not be held accountable to provide the services a university with the size and reputation as ours ought to provide. Of course, I encourage participation in these programs on the part of all students — the difference you make will surely be valued. Advertising assistance programs outside of emails is a start, and expanding areas like ISSS will only improve this difference.

POLITICS SATIRE

JOEY HART

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Oxford Police Department issued a press release last Thursday saying they will place undercover operatives in Oxford area churches on Easter to catch students drinking Eucharistic wine underage.

The holiday, colloquially known as “Red Wine Day” among Miami students, usually sees an increase in churchgoers, thus prompting the operation by OPD. Chief Richard Bentley said this move is mostly a precautionary measure against excessive underage abuse of alcohol.

“We really just want to prevent kids from doing the wrong thing and hope that they know we are out,” he said. “If you’re not 21 and you want to take a sip from the blood of Christ, be prepared to take a gulp from the sweet cup of justice.”

Bentley explained that this operation is part of a larger effort by OPD to curb underage drinking in public institutions. He added 11 students have been arrested this semester for taking communion underage.

“Consubstantiation has its consequences,” Bentley said.

Father Thomas Abner, pastor at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, explained that, although he wants students to be safer, he believes there may be negative effects that come with the additional police presence.

“My main concern is that we will see a decrease in church attendance because of this,” Abner said. “Let he who is without a fake cast the first arrest warrant.”

Junior Maggie Hills, a regular church attendee, agreed with Abner and said although she understands the law, she wants to practice her religion in peace.

“Certainly there are places worth pursuing in terms of underage drinking for the [police],” she said.

“I’m not sure that a place of worship is one of them.”

Hills noted that she has been taking communion for years in her church at home and doesn’t know why such an act would be considered illegal.

Bentley, though, said that everything being done by the department is within the scope of its power.

“All we are trying to do is enforce the rules on the books and keep the community safe,” he said. “This Easter, please don’t let the Power of Christ compel me to take your ass to jail.”

The preceeding piece is a work of satire.

VONCARGH@MIAMIOH.EDU

HARTJT@MIAMIOH.EDU

ANDRY SWITZER GUEST COLUMNIST

Donald Trump has said some unnerving things.

“Mr. Ebola could sort that out in three months.”

“It’s time to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here ...”

Thankfully, these are not some of them.

The first is a quote by Jean Marie Le Pen, the founder of the French National Front Party, speaking about how Ebola could be employed to reduce the influx of migrants into Europe. The second is by Marton Gyongyosi, a senior official in Hungary’s Jobbik party, speaking on the necessity of keeping Hungary’s Jewish population under surveillance.

Frightening.

The point of bringing up these quotes is not to say extreme nationalism exists just as much in Europe as it does in the United States. The point

A “Trump-ish” leader can, unfortunately, happen anywhere. But it shouldn’t happen here.

is to reaffirm to voters who are just as afraid of Donald Trump as I am that the problem facing our country is not unique to the United States alone. The world has faced “Trump-ish” problems before, and the world will continue to face “Trumpish” problems in the future.

Neither of the politicians addressed above were presidents, but corruption still does exist at the top. What about Joseph Estrada, Slobodan Milosevic, Silvio Berlusconi or Luiz Inacio Lula

VOTE TODAY

da Silva? These men assumed the presidencies of the Philippines, Yugoslavia and Serbia, Italy and Brazil, respectively.

They are not exactly household names, but their abuses of presidential prerogatives and harsh rhetoric toward opposition are nonetheless frightening.

Donald Trump, however, would be a household name. He already is. And he is because he is running for president of the country that is capable of doing the most good in the world.

A “Trump-ish” leader can, unfortunately, happen anywhere. But it shouldn’t happen here. The country capable of doing the most good in the world should be held to a higher standard.

With that in mind, it is important not to cower in indignancy or fall victim to questioning how Donald Trump was ever able to gain the momentum that propelled him to prominence.

His rise is not unique enough to lament, but his election certainly would be.

But Trump’s rise, however, is just that — only a rise. It has shed light on divisions that are real within our country. People are angry and upset, and Trump is offering them relief, albeit relief that amounts to empty promises.

I do feel embarrassed about Donald Trump, but this is no reason to feel regret over his rise. He has run a very efficient campaign, and many of his voters are steadfast in their commitment to assuring he assumes the presidency.

But the general election is still eight months away. Opposition to Trump can grow, has grown and should continue to grow.

Ohio is holding its presidential primary today. This would be a great time for that opposition to continue to manifest itself.

SWITZEAP@MIAMIOH.EDU

IT’S YOUR RIGHT

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

OPINION 7

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

A parent’s view: New meal plan Tim Derickson, a Miami alum and local leader unrealistic, not cost-effective lifelong resident of Butler County and structive conservative. He believes POLITICS

DINING

TO THE EDITOR: Great article by Morgan Nguyen, “Students react to meal plan update, ASG pursues change.”

The proposed meal plans are not flexible and do not work for my daughter or many of her friends. I would like to see the buffet swipes allowed at the a la carte food locations, as that is where she eats most of her meals.

Although flexibility is an issue, it’s only part of the story. The proposed meal plan will severely overcharge for the food actually consumed. My choices are to purchase 200+ buffet meals that my daughter will not use (and will not roll over) or pay $2,850 for $1,200 in average a la carte food purchases.

Students are not eating three buffet meals a day, and the cost of each buffet meal depends on how many buffet meals the students use. Students eat a Pop-Tart for breakfast and then a salad or a sandwich (on the run) for lunch with (maybe) one buffet-style meal a day. On top of this, these kids are eating microwave soup in their dorms — or on late nights in the architecture studio — and eating Uptown on the weekends.

These meal plans wrongly assume students eat three meals a day in the buffet-style restaurants. If you purchase the 225 buffet meals at $1,800 and get $100 anywhere money, the cost per buffet meal is (1800-100)/225 = $7.56. However, if you consume only 100 buffet meals in a semester, you still are paying $1,700, or $17 per buffet meal. If you, as my daughter does, only consume 50 buffet meals per term, the cost per meal is $34.

The single declining balance option is worse. I will pay $2,850 for $1,200 in average a la carte food purchases. Even though the declining balance rolls over, I am required to purchase another $2,850 in food plan the following semester. This accumulating balance becomes an asset to the university upon graduation. If no changes are made to the proposed food plans, the annual impact will be paying for buffet

These meal plans wrongly assume students eat three meals a day in a buffet-style restaurants.

meals that I did not use or paying nearly $6,000 for $2,400 in food purchases. This overcharging is staggering and amounts to 240 percent of the food actually consumed.

I have contacted the H.O.M.E office and they appear to believe in the value of their new meal plans. I offer this analogy to the H.O.M.E. office: Would the university stand behind a policy that requires all students to purchase every book at the campus bookstore for the first two years and then allow the campus bookstore to charge 240 percent as much as any other bookstore in town? That’s what these proposed meal plans do.

Where is the “Love and Honor?”

A CONCERNED PARENT, MICHAEL STALEY

TO THE EDITOR: Nearly six months ago, myself and many others were surprised to hear of the abrupt resignation of House Speaker John Boehner from Congress. Mr. Boehner, a man who began his political career as a township trustee and rose to become one of the most powerful people in Washington, had represented the 8th district for over 25 years. Now, with a crowded field of over 15 candidates in the special election to fill the vacancy, the question before us is who will be the person to replace Mr. Boehner and serve as the U.S representative for the citizens of Oxford and southwest Ohio? This question is one I can sincerely answer with ease, and that individual is Tim Derickson.

I have known Tim Derickson for nearly three years and I can think of no better person to represent Miami University and the Oxford community than him. Mr. Derickson is a

grew up on his family’s dairy farm just a few miles outside of Oxford. He and his wife, Kelly, are graduates of Miami and both his kids have carried on the family tradition of attending as well. His daughter is a recent graduate and his son is currently a student here.

The Dericksons are truly a “Miami family” and proud of it.

For the past eight years, Derickson has served Oxford and other portions of Butler County as the Ohio State Representative for the 53rd House District, where he has proven himself to be an honest and effective public servant who always keeps the interests of his constituents at the forefront of his decision-making. Over the years, Derickson has developed a substantial working relationship with numerous Miami administrators and faculty, Oxford businesses and community leaders and, most importantly, his constituents.

While Derickson is a proud conservative Republican, he is also a con-

both parties must work together to confront the pressing issues of our day to reach consensus, without compromising core sets of principles.

Anyone who knows Derickson, be they Democrat, Republican or Independent, may not align with him on all the issues, but would agree he is a man of high moral character who always does what he believes is in the best interest of our community, our state and our country.

The choice is clear. Tim Derickson has been a leader in Ohio and will take his skills, experience and common-sense values with him to serve as our voice in Washington. To all of the readers who are registered to vote in the 8th congressional district and plan on voting in today’s Republican Primary election, I strongly urge you to join me in supporting Tim Derickson for Congress.

CAMERON J. GARCYZK GARCZYCJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

An open letter in support of Warren Davidson POLITICS

TO THE EDITOR: I would like to take this opportunity to share personal knowledge of a congressional candidate with you. I was excited recently to find out that a man I have been privileged to know for the past 16 years was running for John Boehner’s 8th congressional district seat.

This friend is Warren Davidson.

Throughout this time, I have known Warren to be a dedicated father, a successful, local business-man and a hard fighter for right over wrong. He is a former Army Ranger, a dedicated follower of God and a man of integrity,

who believes that the founders of this country were correct in setting up a government based on truth, accountability and right decisions.

It seems extremely rare these days to find a genuinely good man who has the savvy and courage to enter the often-dirty business of politics. With so many disappointments in the political arena, especially over the last several years, what a refreshing thought to have a man of Warren’s integrity and caliber willing to step into the fray and fight for the common man, fighting for truth, justice and a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.

I was surprised to find lying

hate mail on my doorstep, telling me Warren is a bad guy who loves money over American jobs. My friends, don’t believe what you may hear from big-money people.

If you knew him as I have come to know him and his family, you would be proud to vote for him and give him a chance to help turn this country around. Give Warren Davidson your vote and give him the opportunity to do right by the people of the United States and the 8th congressional district.

SINCERELY, ROGER GRIFFIETH

Unmasking the toxicity of masculinity in American culture GENDER

MILAM’S MUSINGS BRETT MILAM COLUMNIST

A new documentary, “The Mask You Live In,” aims to flip the script on our culture’s narrow, idealized conception

of masculinity.

The film “follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating the United States’ narrow definition of masculinity, reassured by the media, their peer group and even the adults in their lives.”

At 4 p.m. Thursday, at the Harry T. Wilks conference center on the Hamilton campus, I’ll be introducing the documentary by writer, director and producer, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Afterward, I’ll help lead a discussion about the screening.

I agreed to introduce the documentary (which I haven’t seen yet) because the question of masculinity is one I’ve long been interested in. I’ve written about my own struggles in confronting and dealing with prevailing notions of masculinity two different times in The Miami Student.

Theresa Kulbaga, my professor in Women’s Gender Studies, gave me more insight into the issue of masculinity.

For starters, as you may have noticed, the film is written and directed by a woman, and it’s being shown during Women’s History Month.

Feminism, in fact, has a lot to say about masculinity, as the patriarchy is not only toxic to women, but to men as they try to fit within the patriarchy’s narrow conception of masculinity.

Traditionally, Kulbaga said, masculinity is defined as the opposite of femininity: don’t be a woman, don’t be such a girl, boys don’t cry,

be a man, etc.

“We can’t undo the toxic effects of a hierarchical and binary gender system without addressing both aspects of the binary,” Kulbaga said.

The way we teach boys to be men through gender policing, in which we have them engage in homophobic, misogynistic bullying of other boys to keep each other in line, is harmful.

A fuller and better conception of masculinity doesn’t just produce healthier men, but will have a positive effect on women’s equality, Kulbaga said.

“In reality, men (and women) are complex, multifaceted and deserve to explore their full humanity (emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical) without being shamed, or humiliated or bullied, and without being forced to kill or repress a part of themselves that isn’t acceptable by mainstream cultural standards,” Kulbaga said.

Jackson Katz, one of the foremost writers on masculinity in the United States, has a documentary on the subject called, “Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity.”

Katz showed a clip of teenagers and men describing what it means to be a ‘real man.’ They said: physical, strong, intimidating, independent, in control, scares people, powerful, respected, hard, a stud, athletic, muscular and tough.

Perhaps some missing words could include, but are not limited to: caring, soft, accepting, quiet, sensitive, empathetic and pensive. But those are words typically associated with women, and they’re not manly.

Obviously, this is not an entirely black-and-white issue, wherein all men attempt to attain the status of a ‘real man’ at the cost of those latter words. There appears to be enough evidence, however, that the former traits of a ‘real man’ have strong pull in our culture.

Similarly to Katz, the Huffington Post released a video in Dec. 2015 called, “48 Things Men Hear In A Lifetime (That Are Bad For Ev-

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

eryone.)” They had boys, teenagers, young men and older men express the 48 things they’ve heard in their lifetime that question their masculinity and toughness.

I’m not going to list all 48 here, but I’ve heard most of them (save for the ones being related to marriage and fatherhood) such as “man up” or don’t be a pussy or a sissy or

dance next to me and signaled to me that I ought to do the same as him.

I was uncomfortable with that, so I didn’t, but the message was clear: I was supposed to assert control over her, as an extension of the male sexual conquest idea.

Moreover, before I lost my virginity, you can add in the smirks, jokes and remarks over that to the afore-

The boys growing up now, and fathers to these boys, need to know this idealized version of masculinity is impossible to live up to, and it’s unhealthy.

gay or any number of ways to try to “police” my masculinity.

And that’s not even getting into the sexual conquest myth — this idea that men are supposed to treat picking up women as sport and be aggressive with them.

For example, I recall my high school prom and dancing with my date. There was quite a bit of distance between us, as I was timid and unsure exactly what to do.

My friend was dancing and grinding on the date he brought to the

mentioned litany of ways men are policed on their masculinity.

Real men, it is thought, also don’t seek help since they can solve their own problems.

This is particularly problematic when it comes to mental health and the issue of suicide, which is largely a male-driven phenomenon. For instance, even though females are more likely than males to have suicidal thoughts, men still take their lives at four times the rate of females and represent 77.9 percent of all

suicides, according to the Center for Disease Control.

It should not be seen as weak to seek help for one’s mental state, but it’s ingrained in men to “tough it out.”

I hope as many people as possible attend the screening of, “The Mask You Live In.” The boys growing up now, and fathers to those boys, need to know this idealized version of masculinity is impossible to live up to, and it’s unhealthy.

It’s a mask no man should have to wear.

I fully expect that much of this will be construed as typical social justice warrior psycho-babble, but my lived experience, the lived experience of all those men in the Huffington Post video and the lived experience of all other men who feel similarly, has to count for something.

When it comes down to it, that’s all we’re really talking about: the lived experiences of our fellow human beings and the ways in which they navigate a particular culture’s prescriptions. In this case, that would be the idealized conception of masculinity reinforced in the media, in politics, in school, among our peer groups and at home.

MILAMBC@MIAMIOH.EDU

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TUESDAY MARCH 15, 2016

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The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.

CORRECTIONS POLICY The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

FROM MIAMI AUDIT »PAGE 1

made in writing to be granted.

An auditor seeking the amount of money generated by selling tickets at home football games during the 201415 season was asked not only to identify herself and whether she was “with the newspaper,” but also to make her request in writing. She was told she wouldn’t get the record unless her request was made in writing.

The auditor who visited the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution requested the names of university students found responsible for a violent crime during the 2014-15 academic year. The auditor was asked to submit the request in writing before the university could provide him the record.

The auditor who requested the most recent evaluation of the university’s provost from the Office of Academic Affairs was told “I don’t think we have FROM STATE AUDIT »PAGE 1

substantially different from other public universities.“The results show that state university officials have some work to do to ensure they readily comply with open records laws,” said Dennis Hetzel, president of the Ohio Coalition for Open Government and executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association. “I was particularly distressed to see so many requests obstructed by asking the requestors to identify themselves.

That’s clearly against the law.”

Miami University’s General Counsel Robin Parker declined to comment for this story.

Spokespeople at the offices of Ohio Auditor Dave Yost and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, both of whom have units dedicated to open government and public records, declined to comment on the results of the audit.

To view a detailed methodology, results from each campus and more about the public records audit of Ohio’s public universities, visit OhioAudit.org.

Obstruction and denial

At Miami University and Cleve-

one. She’s only been here a year and I think they only do them every three years.” While it may be true that Provost Phyllis Callahan has not been in her position for three years, the secretary clearly was not sure of her response and did not direct the auditor to the Office of the General Counsel, nor did she make any other efforts to field the request.

Auditors who requested records from the College of Education, Health and Society and from the Miami University Foundation were both asked to submit identifying information.

When an auditor requested the College of Education’s operating budget for the 2014-15 academic year, employees asked her name, if she was a student and whether she was part of a group. When an auditor requested the amount of money the Miami University Foundation spent on travel to fundraise for the foundation during land State University, all requests were either obstructed or denied.

Central State University was the only institution that was fully compliant, directing all requests to its legal department. No university provided all records that were requested.

At Miami, no records requested were granted, no requests were directed to legal affairs, four were obstructed and one was denied.

In one of the most severe interactions in the state, an auditor at OU was reportedly told “nothing in our office is public” by two administrators when she requested the names of students who committed a violent crime. The auditor said she was told the records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, more commonly known as FERPA. “Given that there has been extensive nationwide publicity to the need for greater transparency in how colleges handle sexual assault, the fact that university employees … are incorrectly citing (FERPA) to conceal violent crimes is simply inexcusable,” said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that protects

the 2014-15 academic year, the auditor was asked why she needed that information.

“It never ceases to amaze me the obstruction that you see, the efforts to dodge, the asking for ‘why do you want to know?’” said Ashlie Sletvold, an attorney for Chandra Law Firm LLC in Cleveland. “[People who] field those requests are unaware of the absolute entitlement of the public. In Ohio, public records are the people’s records.

Those who hold them do it as merely custodians for the people.”

Sletvold specializes in enforcing public records requests under the Ohio Public Records Act. “It exists to keep things open so they don’t become more corrupt, more dirty, more poisonous and disgusting,” Sletvold said. “Miami University has no excuse for not promptly and timely providing you with the records that you request.”

At Miami, training and education about the Ohio Sunshine Laws is limited. But Claire Wagner, director of university news and communications, said employees generally know how to field public records requests.

“I don’t think it’s something that is top of training for people, but it’s in our Policy and Information Manual and, to my knowl-

the First Amendment rights of student journalists.

“These laws need real teeth and real consequences for noncompliance.”

Not all universities, or units within each university, responded illegally to requests.

At Shawnee State University, the Athletics office promptly fulfilled a request through email shortly after it was requested. At Bowling Green State University, the President’s office directed the auditor to the Office of General Counsel as per the university’s policy.

But overall, a large number of auditors ran into roadblocks to receive simple records and some legal experts questioned the trend toward directing auditors to legal offices. “(That) seems inefficient, and frankly, can be rather intimidating to many people who are not trained journalists,” said Aimee Edmondson, associate professor of journalism at OU and a media law scholar.

“I’m not sure you need a lawyer to fill all requests. In terms of time management, it’s the most expensive way to comply with the law.”

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edge, staff, as needed, know to go through their supervisors, who tell them my office or the Counsel’s office,” Wagner said.

It is official university policy for offices that receive records requests to forward them on to the Office of the General Counsel. However, for the five records requested in this audit, no one contacted the general counsel or referred requesters to the general counsel’s office.

But, Wagner did acknowledge the merit of Ohio’s Open Records Act. “Being a public university makes it very important for us to be open and transparent … because people need to know how we’re spending and what we do,” Wagner said.

However, Patricia Newberry, a senior lecturer of journalism at Miami and a regional director of the Society of Professional Journalists, said universities’ actions don’t often reflect their professed commitment to transparency.

“I just don’t think that people at this institution or at any public institution embrace the spirit of our open records law in that way,” she said. “That’s sometimes willful and it’s sometimes out of ignorance.”

Newberry suggested the university send out an email to all of its employees on an annual basis, reminding them of the Sunshine

Laws and their duty to adhere to it.

Sletvold recommended Miami create a short video — just 10 minutes would suffice — that explains public employees’ role in following the Open Records Act. Whatever the method may be, Newberry said it is the university’s responsibility to provide proper training and regular reminders on how to handle public records requests.

Newberry also said that Miami’s failure to comply with the Sunshine Laws in this audit should prompt the university to address its shortcomings.

“This exercise is a reminder to everybody who works at Miami University that we are a public institution and the majority of records that are created by this institution are public records that can be asked for and should be provided to whoever asks for them,” she said.

This audit’s results stand in sharp contrast to a 2014 audit of Ohio’s cities, counties and school districts.

That project found roughly 90 percent compliance among public employees, an improvement over a decade ago.

This audit’s results were an improvement over a similar audit of Ohio’s public universities a decade ago. Then, public officials were compliant only 41 percent of the time — about 15 percent lower than this year’s audit results.

Sean FitzGerald, general counsel at Bowling Green State University, said his university should provide more public records training. But he added an employee that did not comply with the law was not necessarily trying to hide something.

“In this instance, it’s not a matter of a lack of transparency so much as it is individuals in operating units not adequately directing a requester to the General Counsel’s office,” FitzGerald said.

LoMonte, Edmondson and Hetzel echoed the need for more training.

“The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has excellent training on public records,” said Hetzel, the Ohio open government leader. “These

schools should assess if refreshers are needed, especially at Miami University and Cleveland State, where auditors reported all requests were obstructed.”

Patricia Newberry, a senior lecturer of journalism at Miami University and director of the Society of Professional Journalists region that includes Ohio, hailed the collaboration of student journalists through the audit. She said it is important for student journalists to keep the pressure on university administrators to comply with open records laws.

“Across the state, we have inconsistent (student) media pushing” on university leadership, she said. “Some students newspapers push hard to get officials to abide by the law. And others don’t.

They ignore that as a means for deeper reporting.”

Will Drabold and Danielle Keeton-Olsen are students at Ohio University. They coordinated the public records audit of Ohio’s public universities. For more information, please visit OhioAudit.org. To contact them, email willdrabold@gmail.com or dkeetonolsen84@gmail.com.

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9

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

FROM WOMEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 10

holding Grand Valley to 0-of-3 on the man advantage.

Four players received ACHA All-American awards and five received all-tournament honors, including junior Emalee Wills, who was named the first team all-tournament goaltender.

Junior forward Kaley Mooney, who scored the overtime game-

winning goal against Liberty, was named the tournament MVP. “It was an honor to coach such a hardworking a resilient group,” head coach Scott Hicks said. “We lost one of our better players to injury in our conference tournament and faced a lot of adversity throughout the year, including right until the final goal, but this team battled and worked together to find a way to win.”

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FROM MEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 10

After a UMD power play goal, the Bulldogs retook the lead 12:29 into the final stanza. Matching minors at the 11:55 mark led to 4-on-4 hockey, and UMD’s Carson Saucy scored his team’s fifth goal in transition.

In the second game, the Bulldogs took control from the start, scoring the first three FROM SIMMONS »PAGE 10

were at the center of the discussion. A brilliant finance student who is plucked out of the Farmer School of Business after his or her freshman year by a Fortune 500 company would be lauded around the globe.

If that Fortune 500 company offered the student $6 million a year and a shot at becoming the CEO by the time he is 22 years old, even better.

Simmons may never become an NBA star. It’s just as likely he ends up a Kwame Brown instead of a superstar,

FROM ANDREWS»PAGE 10

People following reporters is inevitable, but it’s possible for female reporters to stay safe if a hotel respects their privacy.

Those who criticize the court’s decision to also hold the Andrews’ hotel responsible are ridiculous. The hotels she stayed in are the reason why 17 million people have seen her naked body.

goals.

The RedHawks generated just 16 shots on goal on the night, and their only goal came with 2:48 left in regulation.

After a 2-on-1 rush, freshman forward Jack Roslovic fed senior forward Kevin Morris for a back door goal.

Though the Brotherhood underperformed this season, the team hopes the experience will allow younger play-

ers to learn and grow. Freshmen skaters accounted for 36 percent of the team’s overall points.

“I’m proud of the all the work and resilience we showed in the second half of a tough season. It just ended up not being enough,” Kuraly said. “I know this year will make for an even stronger Miami hockey team next season.”

but he’ll never know until he gets a chance to play in the pros.

There’s a pretty high likelihood he won’t reach the peak of basketball accomplishment, but his years of hard work will be rewarded in his wallet.

As much as a university will brag about its business school, not every student who walks through its doors will become a CEO. Students follow their passion for business and put in innumerable hours of work in the library. Unfortunately, there’s no promise that their passion and hard

work will amount to anything past middle management.

Neither Simmons nor the econ major who lives down the hall in his dorm are guaranteed to climb to the pinnacle of their passions and careers, and they most likely won’t.

If Simmons amounts to nothing more than a blip on the basketball radar and his hallmate never gets the corner office he dreamed of, there is one guarantee.

Simmons made a whole lot more money.

“It’s important that when we walk into hotels or any public building that says they’re going to take care of us,” juror Terry Applegate said, “ that they take care of us and we feel safe and secure in their environment and this hotel did not do that.”

There are others who say Andrews was looking for money when she filed suit.

Andrews doesn’t need any more money. She is already

worth about $3 million.

When she won her case, she won for all women who work in the sports media industry. She set an example for those to come. She, like other women, was the victim of a sick pervert. But, unlike other women, she had the means to take a stand against it and did so.

JACK YUNGBLUT

YUNGBLJD@MIAMIOH.EDU

JULIA RIVERA

Lynn Vavreck Professor of Political Science & Communication Studies, UCLA; regular contributor to The New York Times’ news blog, “The Upshot” Prior appointments at Princeton University, Dartmouth College, & The White House

Who’s Ahead and Who’s Behind in the Race for the White House?

Thursday, March 31, 2016

7 pm Armstrong Student Center • Room 3056A Public reception to follow

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The Darrell West Lecture in American Politics FROM TENNIS »PAGE 10

as a result, we gave up many easy points.”

After Winthrop swept Miami’s doubles teams, Struble picked up the lone win for the RedHawks. She defeated senior Tijana Uz-

elac 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 in singles play. Struble improves to an 18-7 overall record.

“Winthrop was also very aggressive, but they had some girls who were very consistent,” Struble said.

“We just need to put this behind us, keep our feet

moving and stay mentally strong.”

Miami has a break in the action next weekend and returns March 23 for a match against South Alabama and March 25 for a match with Old Dominion University.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2016

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Duluth sweep ends Women’s hockey wins second Brotherhood’s season early national championship MEN’S HOCKEY

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

HARRISON SCHWARZ

GRACE REMINGTON

STAFF WRITER

SPORTS EDITOR

The Miami University women’s club hockey team beat Grand Valley State University, 3-2, to win the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I women’s national championship Sunday.

It’s the third time the RedHawks have reached the national title game and the second time they’ve been crowned champion in the last three years.

“It’s the sweetest moment in the world because you did all of it together and gave everything you had,” senior defenseman Jessie Gould said. “You sacrificed weekends, parties, family time, plans with friends, countless hours of sleep and studying — all so that you could make it here, hoisting that trophy and singing your school’s fight song at center ice for a stadium of your biggest fans.”

In the last three years, MU has gone 83-8-6. It’s a major feat for a team that barely one half its games four season ago during the 2012-13 season.

“It’s been such an amazing journey to watch our program grow every single season, and this year we really had something special,” senior defenseman and co-team captain Morgan McGrath said. “I’ve never been a part of a team with such a

CONTRIBUTED BY JIM STEARNS

Nicole Matthews, Kaley Mooney, Alyssa Visalli and Ireland Mooney mob Becca Senden on the ice after her game-winning goal in overtime. Miami beat Grand Valley State, 3-2, to win the national championship Sunday. strong bond. We really are family.”

If claiming the national title wasn’t sweet enough, the revenge the ’Hawks tasted on the way there made it even sweeter.

Liberty University defeated Miami in the national title game a year ago, but this time, Miami turned the tables in a rematch, knocking Liberty out of the tournament in the semifinal round Saturday with a 3-2 overtime win. Liberty had been undefeated.

That wasn’t the only grudge match Miami avenged. After winning the regular season, Miami fell to Grand Valley in triple overtime in the league playoffs — a loss assistant coach Jim

Stearns described as “devastating.”

“This more than evened the score — we got the big one,” Stearns said.

“Every player and coach on this team has a piece of this. To win an overtime semifinal and overtime final in a national tournament shows the players’ resolve and their ability to perform under lots of pressure. I absolutely love this group.”

Sophomore defenseman Becca Senden scored the overtime game winner in the title game.

Miami outshot GVSU 35-13 and went 1-of-6 on the power play, while WOMEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 9

Ben Simmons critics: Get off your high horse COLUMN

JACK YUNGBLUT Ben Simmons, the 6-foot-10 freshman Louisiana State University basketball star, played his final game in the purple and gold March 12, as the Tigers were defeated 71-38 by the Texas A&M Aggies.

The defeat came a week after the announcement that Simmons was disqualified from consideration for the John R. Wooden Award, one of college basketball’s top prizes, due to his inability to meet the 2.0 GPA requirement.

Sports pundits far and wide were quick to jump on Simmons, an easy target, as his Tigers floundered in the home stretch of the season.

The low hanging fruit is easily picked. Simmons is a college student at a quality university, how can he not maintain a 2.0 GPA? Despite the media and fans across the country questioning his work ethic and leadership, Simmons still stands to be a lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft — an accomplishment that comes with a contract worth tens of millions of dollars.

Simmons is just another product of the college basketball machine

that has been churning out stars since 2005, when the NBA mandated all potential players to be 19 years old or to have completed their freshman year of college.

The same experts who once speculated on Simmons’ draft projections before he even set foot on an NCAA basketball court now lambast him for simply following the necessary steps to obtain his goal career.

Basketball fans across the country love to attack players like Simmons.

But, if they were 6-foot-10 with a shooting touch, they would be doing the exact same thing.

No one in their right minds would turn down millions of dollars and stardom for three more years of dining hall food and lecture halls. Very few people will side with the integrity of the term “student-athlete” when they are presented with a check for more money than many make in a lifetime.

Being an NBA lottery pick comes with significant compensations.

These contracts pay enough money to not only change the players’ lives, but the lives of entire families. A player would be foolish to give that up.

Say Simmons were to stay at LSU for his sophomore season, giving up

the cash for another year in Baton Rouge. During the season he goes down with a career-ending injury.

What is he supposed to do?

Sure, he can get a college education, but the guy is a basketball player. What if the top engineering students on campus were suddenly unable to perform mathematic equations?

Certainly some of these players may be acting out of greed or desire for fame, but they are merely doing what they were put on earth to do.

Don’t criticize a man for using his talents to put food on the table just because he is 19 and the meal happens to cost more than my car.

Simmons, Anthony Davis and the dozens of other one-and-done college players are merely taking advantage of their talents. They’re forgoing college to pursue the dreams into which they’ve put countless hours of work.

The sportswriter who works 60hour weeks to write stories bashing Simmons probably doesn’t spend 30 more hours taking free throws and running sprints. Why would he?

The critics wouldn’t be as harsh if business students or musicians SIMMONS»PAGE 9

Tennis loses back-to-back in South Carolina TENNIS

SCOTT SUTTON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Miami University tennis team (5-6) lost both of its matches this weekend against Georgia State (74) and Winthrop University (9-2) in Rock Hill, S.C. Due to harsh weather, Miami combined its weekend into a doubleheader. The Winthrop match was originally scheduled for Sunday but was moved to Saturday. Miami fell to No. 53 Georgia State, 4-1, and followed with a 6-1 loss to No. 56 Winthrop.

Entering the weekend, head coach Yana Carollo was concerned about

moving to an outdoor setting, and the match results justified those concerns.

“I think we played two very good outside teams and were not very ‘outside’ ready for them,” head coach Yana Carollo said. “We struggled with simple things due to outdoor tennis. We have to keep playing outside as much as possible right now to prepare for outside season and finish up strong.”

Miami did not win a doubles match against either team.

In the Georgia State match, the duos of sophomores Nelli Ponomareva and Anastasiia Vasiukhina lost 6-4, freshman Anzhelika Shapovalova and sophomore Hannah Shteyn

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lost 6-2, and junior Andreea Badileanu and senior Ana Rajkovic lost 6-1.

Miami took one singles win with Shteyn, who defeated Georgia State’s freshman Lara Vovk 6-3, 6-1.

Freshman Emily Struble’s match against freshman Chiara Volejnicek and Shapovalova’s match against senior Linn Timmermann went unfinished.

“The outdoor environment really took a toll on our team for both matches,” Struble said. “We were not extra-focused on every ball and every point. Georgia State was a very aggressive team and we failed to make them play a lot of balls and, TENNIS »PAGE 9

The RedHawks will have to wait until next season to get back to the NCAA tournament.

The Miami University hockey team’s season came to an end after suffering a sweep to No. 20 University of Minnesota-Duluth (17-14-5, 11-10-3 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) in the first round of the NCHC Tournament. In the best-ofthree series, the Red and White lost Friday’s game 5-4 and lost Saturday’s game 3-1.

Head coach Rico Blasi said he is disappointed for the departing seniors, but knows every season can’t be great.

“We didn’t play our best hockey,” Blasi said. “Duluth played well and executed on their chances. Disappointing — no doubt about it. We all take responsibility for it. [It’s] not the Miami hockey standard, and it starts with me. I can assure you the commitment level will be renewed.

For our seniors, I’m proud of them.

Two championships in four years — that’s pretty good.”

After winning the NCHC postseason title and earning a first seed in the Frozen Four Playoffs during the

2014-2015 season, Miami (15-18-3, 9-13-2 NCHC) underperformed this year.

“Obviously, we are extremely disappointed,” team captain and senior forward Sean Kuraly said. “That goes without saying. We fell short of the standard that has been set before us and what we have worked to uphold for the last four years. Give credit to Duluth. They are playing their best hockey at the right time.”

The ’Hawks missed a big opportunity in the first game by not taking advantage of a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period.

The Bulldogs were first on the board, taking a 1-0 lead just 4:32 into the game. MU freshman forward Zach LaValle tied the game up at 1-1 after scoring from a sharp angle below the right circle 12:18 into the first period.

With another UMD goal in between, Miami scored three goals in the second period. Freshman forward Ryan Siroky scored on a turnover 4:11 into the period, junior forward Anthony Louis scored on a breakaway 10:17 into the second and sophomore defenseman Louie Belpedio scored 3:01 later on the power play to make the game 4-2.

MEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 9

Headlines beyond Oxford: The NFL’s top health and safety officer, Jeff Miller, acknowledged Monday there is a link between football-related head trauma and brain damage. It’s the first time a league official has conceded the connection.

4

STAT OF THE DAY

TODAY IN HISTORY

Sophomore Patrick Flavin tied for fourth place at the Colleton River Classic over the weekend, shooting fourover par. He was named Mid-American Conference men’s golfer of the week.

As organized baseball gains popularity and competitiveness, Baseball Hall of Famer Harry Wright puts his players under contract for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, thus creating the first professional team.

1869

Andrews sets example for all reporters in handling of stalker COLUMN

JULIA RIVERA Having a stalker — whether it be a male or female — is always frightening. But in the male-dominated world of sports, female sportscasters are all too often the subjects of male stalkers. Reporter Erin Andrews settled a lawsuit last week for $55 million against her stalker Michael David Barrett and the companies that manage the Nashville Marriott responsible for invading Andrews’s privacy.

In 2008, Barrett used a hacksaw to alter the peepholes of Andrews’s hotel rooms in Nashville, Tennessee and Columbus, Ohio.

He recorded her while she was naked and unaware, and the film was viewed by 17 million people.

When female sportscasters are harassed in their hotel rooms while on assignment, there is only one way the stalkers are able to find the reporter: the hotel itself.

Andrews argued that the hotel should have told her that a man had inquired if she was staying at the hotel.

“This could’ve been stopped,”

she testified. “The Nashville Marriott could’ve just called me and said, ‘We’re putting this man that requested to be next to you, is this O.K.?’ And I would’ve called the cops and we would’ve gotten him.

I’m so angry. I’m so mad.”

Many people don’t think the hotel in Andrews’s case should be held in any way responsible for the actions of Barrett, but the judge made the right decision in making the companies pay a total of $27 million in damages.

This is not the first time a female sportscaster faced harassment by a crazed fan. For example, in 1988 while working for NFL Films, Andrea Kremer was in her hotel room when a man called her late at night.

The hotel traced the call to inside the building. Scared for her safety, security was stationed outside her room.

Women should not have to feel the need to take precautions when staying in a hotel — asking the clerks not to say their name loudly during check-in, avoiding elevators filled with glaring male eyes and opting for private transportation late at night — yet they do.

ANDREWS »PAGE 9

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